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From Vienna Symphonic Library: Synchron Harp

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From the demos and screenshots of the interface, it looks like this is the sampled harp library to end all sampled harp libraries

VSL’s new harp, Synchron Harp, is a yon & Healy Style 30 Concert Grand harp, recorded in their Synchron Hall Vienna. The Synchron Stage Orchestra’s Chief Engineer Bernd Mazagg sampled Tina Žerdin, long-time harpist of the orchestra. 

It includes the new Synchron Harp Player, which recreates the pedaling mechanism of a real harp. They set out to make it so someone with average keyboard skills can create authentic harp parts.

Its Chromatic Mode lets you play harp like you would any keyboard instrument. Pedal Mode recreates the pedaling mechanism and the scale possibilities of a real harp, with its seven notes in each octave mapped to the white keys. That means you just slide up and down the keyboard for glisses.

In Pedal Mode, seven keyswitches determine the top, middle, and bottom positions of each pedal (harp pedals raise or lower each note a half step). There are also keyswitches for different keys and “scale families” (meaning you select them by chord type).

This works out to 144 pre-configured setups, plus you can make your own. The interface includes a matrix, as well as diagrams like actual harp notation.

In Chromatic Mode, keyswitches just select articulations. But you can switch quickkly to Chromatic mode to play a gliss, then back. 


All articulations – regular, harmonic, bisbigliando – have ringing and damped release variations, and there’s a release control. You can also set the dynamic range for different keyboards and playing styles, or use a MIDI CC to control the velocity. An automatic “Glissando Smoother” activates when the player recognizes that you’re playing a glissando.

Finally, the full version of the instrument features seven phase-coherent mic configurations. There are preconfigured mixer presets – Intimate, Solitary, Sharp, etc. You can mix in 5.1 surround, Dolby Atmos, 9.1 Auro 3D, or any other immersive format.

VSL also offers a standard version of the library with fewer mic positions and articulations.

Introductory prices: $158 (reg. $213) for the Standard Library and $278 (reg. $377) for the Full Library.

Click here for the product page

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